Innovate UK to give £4m to SMEs with great ideas on cyber security

The UK government is looking for new ideas on how companies can fight the threat of cyber security – with £4m in R&D investment on offer for the best.

Innovate UK says that it will allocate grants to companies that are developing technology to fight the mounting threat of internet fraud and data theft. In particular, it will fund projects that “tackle the growing risks of disruption to internet-enabled businesses and their digital supply chains,” it said.

Eligible projects will typically last 1-2 years with a total budget of £150,000-£750,000. For SME-run submissions, the government is willing to cover up to 60% of these costs.

“Proposals must be collaborative and business-led,” said Innovate UK.

“We want to identify and fund industrial research that will strengthen the protection and resilience of such data, so businesses and the public can have confidence in the delivery of digitally enabled business products and services.”

The deadline for registering for the competition is April 29th. Briefing events for companies will be held in Belfast, Cardiff, London and Edinburgh between 25th March and 1st April, with full details available here.